Sweet Melody
by EvelynThursday
Summary: Athos finds a piano and begins to play. The others stumble upon his playing.


NOTES: This was inspired by a (sort of) piano playing app when I started to wonder if Athos could play. This was the result.

* * *

Athos strode though the grand rooms aimlessly. He and his fellow Musketeers had already searched the palace and secured the entrances ready for the arrival of the Royal party in the next few days, leaving him with some time on his hands. The other Inseparables had already settled down for a few rounds of cards at they were not on duty and as he was feeling a little restless Athos thought he'd give the house another walk around to stretch his legs and assure himself that nothing and nobody unwanted was around.

Apart from the guards he could see stationed in the gardens though the windows and by all the main external doors he saw no one and so when he entered the grand ballroom his was completely alone.

Up on a dais at one end of the room was a grand piano, nestled against the wall so to leave space for an orchestra on the rest of the platform.

He gravitated towards it; he had had lessons as a boy but hadn't had a chance to play in many years. As expected of a royal palace, even one not as well visited as this, the dark mahogany of the case gleamed in the sparkling room and running a hand over the smooth wood Athos found no dust. Lifting the cover he found the keys in the same pristine state.

The seat creaked under him as he sat down in front of the keys which made him smile wistfully; the piano seat at home had creaked too.

His love of piano playing was one of the very few things that his wife hadn't taken from him. She had liked to hear him play when she felt like it but she never cared for it much and had never asked him to play something for her, he only ever played for himself.

He felt a wash of calm come over him as he settled his fingers on the cold ivories. The corridors and rooms he had passed though were empty and all the servants were rushing around upstairs and at the other end of the palace, so if he played nobody would hear him.

Pressing a few keys tentatively he could hear the sweet notes from the strings inside and his memories of playing came to the front of his mind. Spreading his fingers across the keys he began to play one of his favourite pieces.

* * *

When the haunting melody first permeated the building the Musketeers were at first confused, where was that tune coming from? They paused in their activities and strained to identify the ghostly melody. They could see the guards outside looking confused at each other as they listened to the unexpected noise, uncertain whether to react to it or not. They looked to Captain Treville through the window, who calmed their uncertainty with a wave of a hand and stood up from examining the maps of the palace grounds.

He pointed towards Porthos, Aramis and d'Artagnan who were playing cards on top of an old wooden packing crate.

"You three, come with me. "

As they followed the rising and falling notes down halls and across rooms, they could tell what was being played and finally where it was coming from. Aramis remembered spotting something on his earlier rounds of the rooms.

"There's a piano in the ballroom. It's just at the end of this corridor. Whoever is playing it is really good!"

Through a half open door they could hear the piano with clarity and they crept towards it, not wanting to let the player know they were there. It could be an uninvited guest, but really, what sensible invader would play a loud instrument in a heavily guarded building?

Peeking round the door, the Captain going first of course, they found their friend at the keys, head down and playing with great skill and with no music in front of him, obviously from memory. There was a calmness around him and a serene smile in his face that none of them had ever seen before. Playing the piano was obviously a secret love and one that could only have come from his life before joining the musketeers.

They stayed there, enraptured at their friend's skilful playing, until the piece came to an end.

As the last note faded away Athos stilled, head bowed and fingers spread out over the keys. He sat there for a few moments before smiling sadly to himself and closing the lid reverently.

He rested his hands on the closed lid and stared into space, seemingly lost in bittersweet memories.

Treville turned to his men.

"Let's go back to the others. He was doing no harm so he doesn't have to know we saw what looked like a private moment."

As they walked back down the corridor they began to admire their friend's abilities, the melody still playing in their heads.

"I hope we can hear him play again, it was beautiful." Porthos hadn't heard many pieces played so he had little to compare it to, pianos weren't exactly around in the Court of Miracles, but he just knew that it was good.

"I don't think I've heard playing like that outside of the King's concert halls," replied Aramis, who had dabbled in playing whilst seducing mistresses. "He's as good with the keys as he is with the sword."

"I never knew he could play. Why hasn't he ever told us?" Asked d'Artagnan.

"He is a man of many secrets, is our Athos," said Treville. "Some have been better than others and I do have to say that this one was rather unexpected."

When they rejoined the rest of the company of off duty Musketeers they were met with a sea of questioning faces. The Captain assured the men that there was nothing to worry about but didn't tell them who had been the skilful player, much to their disappointment.

When Athos joined them a few minutes later he still seemed calmed and relaxed from the music he had made and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. His friends waved him over with smiles of their own and dealt him a hand of cards, keeping the newly discovered knowledge of his skill close to their hearts.


End file.
